Christmas stories from Russian literature come to life in a conversation about symbols, customs, and hidden meanings of the holiday season. Together, we will explore how 19th-20th century writers created a festive atmosphere, what they debated with readers, and why a short story sometimes resonates more powerfully than a novel - warmly, sharply, and humanely. Christmas tales were once read aloud in families and copied into albums, and today they resonate again - as small stories about hope, fear, mercy, and miracles. The lecture will discuss how the tradition of Christmas reading formed in Russia and why it was so popular before the Revolution. Lecturer Sofia Kolyokina will analyze familiar symbols of the holiday: the Christmas tree and candles, the road and the blizzard, carols and gifts, the theme of home and guest. These details in the texts work as clues: they easily reveal what the characters are waiting for, what they fear, and what price they are willing to pay for "holiday" happiness. A separate discussion will focus on how authors combined light and anxiety, humor and bitterness, everyday scenes and almost fairy-tale twists. The focus will also be on the "rules of the genre": short form, precise ending, moral without preaching, and a conversation with the reader as equals. We will talk about themes that were hidden behind the decorations: poverty and generosity, loneliness, family obligations, faith, guilt, and forgiveness. We will analyze when the Christmas plot went beyond oral traditions and became a literary fashion, how print and magazines supported this boom, and why interest in such stories fluctuated over the years. We will also look at how the "holiday" hero changed: from a naive dreamer to a person who doubts and chooses between duty and desire. It is also important how writers conveyed the feeling of the holiday without direct descriptions. Sometimes the sound of a bell, the scent of pine, or a light in the window is enough, while at other times the holiday emerges through contrast - an empty street, darkness, cold, and a pause in conversation. Such techniques help to understand why a Christmas story often strikes right at the heart even for those who have long stopped believing in fairy tales.